1. Field of The Invention
This invention relates, in general, to electric powered vehicles and, more specifically, to electric powered vehicles wherein solar radiation is utilized to generate the electricity needed to power the vehicle.
2. Description of The Prior Art
In view of the steadily decreasing world wide supply of oil resources, alternate source of energy have been investigated for possible use in powering vehicles, such as automobiles, trucks, buses, etc. Alternate sources of energy also have been investigated as a means for reducing pollutant levels in large cities, a major portion of which is emitted from the use of oil derived fuels, such as gas, diesel, etc., in today's vehicles.
Such investigations have focused on electrical powered vehicles in view of the ready supply of electricity and the non-polluting nature inherent with electrical motors.
In an electric powered vehicle, a series of storage batteries are mounted within the vehicle for providing the electricity needed to energize an electric motor connected to the drive train of the vehicle. A large number of storage batteries are typically employed to provide sufficient electricity to propel the vehicle over a wide range before requiring recharging. Previously devised electric powered vehicles are typically recharged by connecting the batteries through a suitable recharging device to a source of electrical energy such as the electrical circuit in a building or residential home. During recharging, which can take several hours, the vehicle is completely inoperative.
Previously constructed batteries are typically heavy and are required in large numbers in order to provide an adequate driving range between recharging periods. These factors are opposed to the recent trend towards smaller, lighter vehicles and have impeded the deployment of large numbers of electric powered vehicles pending further advances in battery storage capacity design and weight reduction. Furthermore, such batteries still utilize electricity generated by the conventional means, such as fossil fuels, hydro, nuclear, etc., which adds to the expense of recharging the batteries and further inhibits the rapid deployment of large numbers of electric powered vehicles.
In an attempt to overcome the problems attendent the necessity for connecting the batteries in an electric powered vehicle to a source of electricity for recharging, solar panels have been mounted on vehicles to partially recharge the batteries during the operation of the vehicle so as to increase the operating range of the vehicle and to decrease battery recharging time. These attempts have met with limited success since previously devised solar panels provide only minimal recharging capacity due to the small amount of external space available on vehicles for mounting the panels. This is particularly true in view of smaller vehicles being designed and produced today.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an electric powered vehicle which overcomes the problems of previously devised electric powered vehicles. It would also be desirable to provide an electric powered vehicle in which solar radiation is utilized to generate the electricity needed to power the vehicle. Finally, it would be desirable to provide an electric powered vehicle in which a solar collector having a large surface area may be mounted on the vehicle to extend the driving range of the vehicle and decrease battery recharging time.